


Bring Me a Man This Christmas

by CrowleyLovesUSUK



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Colorado, Destiel - Freeform, Holidays, I'm Not Kidding There Is a LOT of Fluff Here, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Mistletoe, Misunderstandings, Sabriel - Freeform, SabrielSecretSanta2019, Snowed In, The Destiel is minor, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:28:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21872986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrowleyLovesUSUK/pseuds/CrowleyLovesUSUK
Summary: Since the beginning of their relationship, three years prior, Gabriel Novak has always known that he wanted to marry Sam Winchester.  He has the ring, and now he has the perfect opportunity to ask the most important question of his life. On a holiday vacation to the mountains of Colorado, Gabriel plans to propose to his boyfriend. However, when things don’t go as planned, will he still be able to pull off the Christmas Engagement that he’s been dreaming of?
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Gabriel/Sam Winchester
Comments: 25
Kudos: 83





	Bring Me a Man This Christmas

**Author's Note:**

  * For [InkStainedWings](https://archiveofourown.org/users/InkStainedWings/gifts).



> *This fic is for InkStainedWings for the Sabriel Secret Santa Exchange 2019. I tried to get a few prompts into this, so hopefully it worked out and you enjoy it! Happy Holidays! Merry Sabriel!
> 
> *This fic has been rated M simply because there are a few swear words and some implied sexy times. In all honesty it's probably smack dab in between M and T...  
> *I have changed the layout of the roadways of Evergreen, CO for this to suit the needs of the fic. If you exit off I-70 by the Buffalo you will go around the town and end at a T intersection at Evergreen Lake. You don’t go through the downtown first. That direction is a twisty, turny canyon road that a GPS system wouldn’t normally take out-of-towners through. Just FYI.  
> *This is 100% cavity inducing, sugary sweet, holiday floofy fluff, with one hot second of minor angst—you have been warned.
> 
> *Beta’d by BuLlEtNiPpLeS

Gabriel Novak was aware that proposing on Christmas was the ultimate in cliche—and he didn’t care one bit. It wasn’t his fault his boyfriend was so amazing that Gabe had went out and bought a ring after they’d had their third date. He and Sam hadn’t even slept together before Gabriel had found himself shelling out for the most important piece of jewelry that he would ever purchase. What could he say—Gabe was nothing, if not optimistic. 

It also wasn’t his fault that he wanted the whole thing to be perfect, which made the actual proposal part of getting engaged much more difficult than he’d anticipated. Which was why, three years later, Gabriel carried that stupid ring everywhere he went, hoping the opportune moment would arrive. So far, it hadn’t. But Gabe was determined to make it happen before the new year. It was time, and he refused to put it off any longer. One way or another, he was going to get that platinum band on Sam Winchester’s big, gorgeous, hand.

Due to Sam’s parents having passed away during his childhood, and Gabriel not being on speaking terms with ninety-five percent of his family, the couple had decided to spend the holidays at a remote mountain cabin in the Colorado Rockies. They had invited Sam’s older brother, Dean, and the only sibling that Gabe spoke with, his little brother Castiel, to join them. Despite Sam and Gabriel dating for so many years, their siblings had never met before. Gabriel was sure that they would either hit it off amazingly, or absolutely despise one another. It was a fifty-fifty shot. Either way, Gabe knew that he’d be amused. 

They had flown into the Denver International Airport early on the twenty-third of December, a few small gifts tucked into their suitcases. Once their plane finished its rather turbulent landing, and they made their way to baggage claim, both men were disappointed to hear that Sam’s bag had been lost and wouldn’t be arriving for another hour. Determined not to let it affect them much, they found a small cafe near security and grabbed some sandwiches and drinks while they waited. By the time they were summoned over the loudspeaker system, it had been closer to two and a half hours, putting them behind schedule.

Once they both had their suitcases, they headed out to rent a vehicle, and noticed that while they had been waiting, the snow seemed to have gotten heavier. Because of that, Sam had insisted on renting a truck, both for the four wheel drive, as well as the leg room. It wasn’t long before they took off, headed for the mountains. 

They had planned on being the first to arrive at the rental home, mostly because Castiel’s flight was scheduled to land later in the afternoon, and Dean refused to set foot on a plane. He insisted on driving out in his precious Impala, and if Gabe was honest, he almost didn’t blame Dean after the rough flight he and Sam had just experienced. Surprisingly though, Dean had offered to pick up Cas along the way, sparing Sam and Gabriel from hanging around the airport all day. 

Since it would be the first time that Cas and Dean met, Gabriel had insisted on Dean holding a sign at baggage claim that said “Cassie” which he had covered in glitter. Dean didn’t know about the glitter yet, and Gabe knew he would catch hell for it later, but the opportunity was too good to pass up. He had dropped it off at his future brother-in-law’s before they left, tucking it into the trunk. Dean wouldn’t know about the ‘craft herpes’ until it was too late, which made Gabriel snicker about it whenever the prank crossed his mind. 

The trip from the airport skirted along the edges of the city, and after Gabriel complained that the snow flurries were blocking his view of the mountain range, he ended up dozing in the passenger seat as Sam drove. He wasn’t sure how long he had been asleep when he heard Sam mutter a curse and the truck jostled, knocking Gabe’s head against the window. “What’s up, kiddo?” Gabe blinked and rubbed his eyes. 

“This snow is getting worse,” Sam said tightly, his eyes firmly on the road. 

Gabriel straightened in his seat and took in the sight through the windshield. The sky was a deep grey, the cloud cover low and almost ominous. As he blinked up at the sky, Gabriel had the oddest thought that the dark, heavy clouds seemed closer than usual. “That’s why we have four-wheel drive,” Gabe eventually said, turning back to his boyfriend. “You drive in the snow back home all the time.”

Sam’s mouth thinned and he huffed a soft breath. “Yeah, but this is different than Midwest snow,” Sam said. “It’s a really fine consistency, and even though it hasn’t been snowing for long, the roads are starting to freeze over a bit. I just want to be on the safe side, so it might take a little longer to get there.”

“No worries,” Gabriel leaned back into his seat. “Do you want me to keep quiet so you can concentrate?”

His lover actually snorted at that. “As if you could stay quiet for more than thirty seconds,” he joked fondly. “Talk to me. Tell me a story.”

Gabe smiled, happy in the knowledge that Sammy knew him so well—he wasn’t a quiet man. He eyed up Sam’s profile, soaking in how sexy his boyfriend looked. “Okay,” he smirked. “Wanna hear the story about the best sex I’ve ever had?” He could see Sam wrinkle his nose. It was freaking adorable. Before his boyfriend could respond, Gabriel plowed ahead. “It was with this absolutely  _ gorgeous  _ man who was about the size of a moose...everywhere,” Gabriel wiggled his eyebrows as Sam barked out a laugh next to him. 

He spent the rest of the trip recounting his current favorite Sexy Sammy memory. As he embellished from what actually happened into pure ridiculous fantasy, he delighted in Sam’s laughter. Even with the snowfall growing thicker, it wasn’t much longer before they were heading into the foothills, the roads curving along through rocky canyons. Gabriel didn’t stop talking until they reached their exit, pulling off of I-70 toward the town of Evergreen. At the top of the ramp, Gabe’s eyes popped open as he saw a high fence with a large herd of shaggy buffalo just on the other side. 

“Holy crap, kiddo,” he pointed at the creatures. “They’re almost as big as you.”

“I think I prefer you comparing me to a moose, honestly,” Sam chuckled and turned the car, heading away from the animals. 

“I’ve never seen a buffalo in real life before,” Gabe murmured, watching out of the back window until the herd was gone. 

“There’s lots of animals around here that you’ve probably never seen before,” Sam pointed out. “We could go on a hike while we’re here. Maybe we’ll see elk,” he looked excited at the prospect. “Or mountain goats.”

Gabriel tried not to groan at the thought of hiking. He wasn’t really an outdoorsman—which was putting it lightly. He was most definitely more of the ‘drinking whiskey and ravishing Sam by the fireplace’ kind of guy. In all honestly he was just grateful that the cabins to rent closer to the ski resorts were out of their price range. If they had booked a place near Aspen or Vail, he knew that Sam would have had him on the slopes every day. And if Gabe was sore and full of pulled muscles then he wasn’t going to be enjoying his boyfriend as much as he wanted. They were staying through the new year though, so he was sure they would make the trip to Arapahoe Basin at least once. He recalled his coworker, Charlie, reminding him that the locals called it ‘A-Basin.’ She’d lived in Denver for a few years before migrating back east and Gabe was grateful for her advice. He didn’t want to look like a clueless tourist.

The twisting, narrow, forest-lined road opened before them to reveal the historic downtown. Snow was piled high along the walkways, the businesses all sitting raised on an uneven wooden sidewalk. Thick pine garlands and twinkling lights were as far as the eye could see. Gabriel found himself pressed against the window trying to absorb everything at once. He already spotted a few stores and cafes that he wanted to check out. Soon enough a small lake appeared, the road they needed skirting the edges. While the water over the small falls was running, the surface on the other end of the lake was frozen solid, with a few people twirling around on skates. He smiled as Sam slowed down to look, his hazel eyes bright with excitement. 

So far, despite the issue with Sam’s luggage and the continuing snow, everything seemed to be going well. As they continued on though, Gabe noticed that the snow was getting deeper alarmingly fast. They continued down the road which began to weave through a forest of pines and bare flaky aspens. Sam had become fully focused on the road once again, their progress slowed, both from the storm and the fact that they were nearing their destination. When the phone navigation chirped that they had arrived, Sam pulled the car toward the edge of the road and stopped, while both men glanced at the driveway. Their eyes kept going upwards and Gabe flashed back to the first time he’d met Sam and stared right at his boyfriend’s chest. The drive was snow packed and seemingly endless. The part that made Gabriel’s heart sink was the fresh blanket of snow that had no plow tracks whatsoever. 

The two of them shared a look and Sam set his jaw in determination, shift the vehicle into gear. He went to pull into the drive, but the truck only rocked as the tires spun uselessly on the ice. Sam cursed under his breath and hit the gas again. Nothing but the whir of the wheels and the truck remaining stationary. After a few minutes, Sam sat back in his seat and turned to Gabriel. “If I keep going, we’re just going to get deeper in this rut.”

“So,” Gabe looked at him with apprehension. “What do we do?”

His boyfriend’s expression was apologetic. “We can walk up to the house with our stuff and get settled in. Maybe there’s a shovel or snow blower up there. Salt bags,” he shrugged. 

“I’m not walking through that,” Gabe blinked rapidly. 

“Okay,” Sam said. “Then I guess you can live in the truck. Don’t keep it running all the time or you’ll run out of gas by the morning.” He unbuckled and began to exit the car. 

“What?” Gabe squawked. “I’m not staying here alone, Samshine!”

His lover chuckled. “Then bundle up, cause we’re walking through the snow.”

Gabriel immediately pulled on a pair of thick gloves and jammed his beanie down over his ears while grumbling audibly. He joined Sam outside, the snow drifts reaching up to his knees, which was beyond horrifying. Sam looked so happy at the concept of a walk though, like a giant puppy, and Gabe couldn’t find it in himself to ruin that adorable grin. As Sam unloaded their suitcases, Gabriel immediately saw the biggest problem yet: there was no way they were going to be able to roll those bad boys through the drifts. Sam’s smile dimmed ever so slightly as he set Gabe’s overstuffed luggage next to him. “If you get tired, we can leave it and I’ll go back down for it once we’re in the house.”

He raked his gloves over his pink cheeks and groaned. “This is  _ so _ not how I thought this trip would start out,” Gabe bitched.

“It’ll be fun,” Sam poked his chest. “Our own winter wonderland adventure.”

“If I get frostbite, you better still love me when my toes are removed,” Gabriel muttered, as he tried to figure out the best way to heft his suitcase into his arms. 

“Don’t worry,” Sam laughed. “I’ll love you no matter what part of you freezes and falls off.”

Gabe’s eyes blew wide and his voice was higher than he intended as he said,” Don’t put something like that out in the universe Sammoose!”

“You’re right,” Sam was still grinning. “I would be very sad if  _ that _ part fell off,” he turned and started up the drive. 

“You and me both, kiddo,” Gabe grumbled as he followed. 

Their progress was slow, and Gabe didn’t want to admit how much he was whining as they finally crested the top of the hill. Sam had reached it before him, setting his bag down and staring forward in silence. Gabe complained about the wind hurting his face as he moved next to his boyfriend. When he saw that Sam wasn’t moving, he turned his gaze to where Sam was looking. “Oh, come on,” he groaned. “Seriously?”

The cabin they had rented stood before them, looking exactly like the photographs online. The only problem (and it was a big one, in Gabriel’s mind) was that it was about another quarter mile away, up another freaking snowy hill. “It’s okay,” Sam said quietly. “It’ll be fine.” Though his voice didn’t sound as excited about the prospect of hiking as it had earlier. 

Gabe set his jaw resolutely and huffed. “I hate nature.” 

It made Sam laugh and pull him into the taller man’s side. Gabriel scowled as he eyed the cabin in the distance, until Sam tilted his head upwards with a gloved finger under Gabe’s chin. His amazing boyfriend captured his lips in a sweet, soft kiss as the snow continued to swirl around them. Despite his prickly mood, and the chilled tingling in his toes, Gabriel melted into Sam’s embrace and forgot about everything except the kiss for a few moments. When they reluctantly pulled apart, Sam smiled down at him. “I promise I’ll start a fire and make you hot chocolate when we get there.”

“Throw in a foot massage and you’ve got a deal, kiddo.”

“Done.”

They each grabbed their bags and began to trudge up the hill, slipping and sliding occasionally on their trek. It took less time than Gabriel had imagined to reach the large rough hewn wooden porch, and he allowed a full body shiver as Sam fished out the keys from the lock box and opened the front door. Both men sighed with relief at the warmth of the heated interior as Gabriel kicked the door closed behind them, the few flurries trapped in the entryway melting immediately. 

He plastered himself to Sam, arms squeezing tightly as both men ran their palms over one another, checking for any injuries and making a show of warming up. Gabriel eventually tucked himself under Sam’s chin and nuzzled at his boyfriend’s pecs. “You’re shivering,” Sam pointed out. 

“I’m freezing,” Gabe retorted, burrowing himself into Sam’s coat. 

He could feel the rumble of Sam chuckling and he pulled back to hit his tall lover with a full pout. “That’s adorable,” Sam commented. “Come on, let’s get our stuff to a room and then we can see about some food and a fire.”

“Don’t forget my cocoa and foot rub.”

“I would  _ never _ ,” Sam’s voice was teasing as he leaned down and smacked a quick kiss on Gabe’s forehead. 

They kicked off their boots and peeled away their soaked socks before grabbing their bags and moving into the rest of the homey looking residence. There was a large open space containing a sparkling kitchen with expensive looking appliances and granite counters. A small breakfast bar with two matching stools that were carved from aspen logs, separated the food prep area from the two story sitting room. The space wasn’t overly large, full of overstuffed furniture and natural accents. All of it surrounded a large stone fireplace that was flanked by two floor to ceiling windows that looked out onto the back of the property. They couldn’t see much beyond the swirling snow, but from the website pictures, Gabe knew that the view was pretty fantastic on a clear day. 

A short hall jutted off the room with a circular iron staircase ascending to the upstairs loft. Both men dismissed that room as an option for them. Gabriel refused to drag his belongings any further, but mostly the lack of a door had them choosing one of the smaller rooms on the main floor. They were both certain that once their brothers joined them, they would be grateful that the couple had taken a room that could be closed off whenever they desired some intimacy. 

The room had a large King-sized bed, the frame also made from aspen logs. A fluffy red plaid comforter was littered with throw pillows all bearing silhouettes of native animals. Gabriel immediately latched onto the one displaying a moose and held it up to Sam’s face. When his boyfriend narrowed his eyes playfully at Gabriel’s insinuation to a common nickname for the tall man, Gabe tossed the pillow at him. “You look unamoosed, Moose.”

“That’s it,” Sam said in mock seriousness. “No cocoa for you.”

“No,” Gabe whined pathetically, dragging the word out into twelve different syllables. “You can’t deny me cocoa, Sammy Plum.”

Sam wrinkled his nose at that one. “Sammy Plum?”

Gabe shrugged. “I was trying to be festive. Like a sugarplum.”

Shaking his head, Sam claimed the side of the bed closest to the door saying, “You are so weird.”

“You love me.”

“You know I do.”

Once they were changed into dry clothing, he allowed Sam to latch onto his hand and pull him back into the main area of the cabin. Gabriel was just glad that he’d packed his fuzzy dinosaur socks. They were making a world of difference to his chilled, numb toes. He hopped up onto one of the stools and watched Sam poke around the kitchen. After a few minutes of looking around, Sam’s shoulders slumped and he turned to Gabe saying, “Do you want the good news or the bad news?”

“I don’t like bad news.”

“Well then the good news is that there’s gourmet cocoa mix,” Sam told him. “The bad news is that they forgot to stock us with milk. Among a lot of other things.”

Horror rolled through him and Gabriel couldn’t do anything except work his jaw for almost a full minute. “Hot chocolate made with water is the biggest travesty of our time.”

“No it isn’t,” Sam said calmly. 

Gabriel wrinkled his nose and tried not to think about creamy, warm cocoa. “Fine,” he grumbled. “I’ll take the chocolate water.”

“You’re a drama queen,” Sam snorted as he began to prepare the substandard beverage.

“You have no taste buds,” Gabe countered. “Which is why you eat spinach and have no idea how gross watery cocoa is.”

“That’s because my taste buds matured passed the age of five, and I enjoy things besides pure sugar and chicken tenders.”

Gabriel crossed his arms and grumbled, pouting. His mood went even more sour as Sam began to list off the other missing supplies that they had originally requested. None of the spices had been purchased—not even salt. He managed to crack a smile as Sam muttered grumpily about ‘low sodium freaks’ though. It was still a bit upsetting. Why would the caretaker buy cereal and forget the milk? It made absolutely no sense. Gabe just hoped that the snow would let up in time for them to dig out and make a grocery run before Christmas Day.

So far their holiday vacation wasn’t going as well as he’d thought. Even Sam was looking a bit downtrodden. Glancing out the window at the swirling snow, Gabriel distracted himself by slipping a hand into the pocket of his flannel pajama pants and fingering the ring box that he’d secretly grabbed while they changed. He looked over at Sam, who was stirring the water and expensive chocolate mix on the stove due to the absence of a microwave, and raked his eyes over his boyfriend’s body. 

As always, Sam looked incredible. Gabriel was still unsure what someone like Sam Winchester was doing with him, but he knew better than to give voice to the wonder. Sam always got incredibly pissy when Gabriel spoke poorly about himself. For some reason the gorgeous, smart, caring man thought that  _ he  _ was the lucky one and that  _ Gabriel _ was the catch. The concept always made Gabe want to snort and roll his eyes. 

He watched Sam move almost robotically as he stared at the saucepan with a frown. Something was distracting his lover, and it wasn’t in a good way. He closed his own hand around the ring in his pocket and bit his lip as his mind was flooded with his own thoughts. Should he? He’d planned to wait until at least Christmas Eve. That was only another day. Surely he could hold off for twenty-four more hours—he’d been waiting for three years after all. 

“You okay, kiddo?” 

Sam jumped at Gabe’s voice and turned to him looking all manner of guilty. “Fine,” he said. “This just isn’t going the way I imagined,” Sam trailed off. 

“You’re telling me,” Gabriel replied. “It’ll be alright though,” he said. “Once Dean and Cassie get here we can start the holiday celebrations.”

Snorting a laugh, Sam shook his head with a smile. “And what kind of celebrations did you have in mind?”

“You know,” Gabe shrugged. “Cookies, candy canes, presents,” he waggled his eyebrows. “Mistletoe.”

“I haven’t seen any mistletoe sneakily hanging around anywhere. Besides, you don’t need a cheesy holiday tradition to make out with me,” Sam began pouring the finished hot chocolate into an oversized mug.

“I do if I want to get away with it in front of Dean-o,” Gabriel pointed out. The elder Winchester was quite vocal about how ‘gross’ it was to watch Gabriel ‘constantly attack his brother with his tongue.’ Which was the main reason that Gabriel turned the affection and chick flick moments up to eleven around Dean. It amused him greatly to irritate his boyfriend’s big bro.

“That’s true,” Sam smiled fondly and set the steaming mug in front of him. “He’s not here now,” his tone was suggestive. “Wanna go make out by the fire?”

“What kind of a question is that?” Gabe asked. “Damn straight I do!” He hopped to his feet and bounded to the large sofa facing the stone fireplace. 

Following him closely, Sam gave the interior a glance. “It’s not gas or electric,” he hummed. “We’ll have to build it ourselves,” he gestured to the side where Gabriel saw what he’d originally thought was a piece of artwork. 

The log holder was almost four feet tall, made of curving metal that looked similar to wrought iron. It had a spherical base that was big enough for someone of his stature to lay down upon; and it was piled high with a variety of logs. Some were huge and looked immeasurably heavy, while others were mere twigs in comparison. “You’re in luck, kiddo,” he smiled. “I was a Boy Scout and I excelled at starting fires.”

“Did you start the fires on accident?” Sam was fighting back a smile. 

Sticking out his lower lip, Gabriel pretended to be annoyed. “Sometimes.” He made a show of checking out Sam’s muscles. “You know how good I am at heating things up.”

“You’re the best at that,” Sam pulled him in for a kiss. 

The touch started off soft and chaste but quickly moved into more passionate territory. Surprisingly, Gabriel was the one who pulled away first. He smacked his palm across Sam’s backside and set his mug down before moving to the collection of kindling. “Give me a hand here, my gorgeous moose.”

The two of them gathered up some of the logs and knelt in front of the fireplace, close enough that their arms would brush. They set about building up the logs, exchanging sweet kisses and a few rather dirty suggestions about the coming evening. It wasn’t long before there was a cheerful blaze going, showering the room in a soft, golden glow and a flood of warmth. 

Sam nestled into the cushions of the sofa and held open his arms in a silent invitation. Gabriel wasted no time in crawling up onto his boyfriend’s lap and snuggling into his firm embrace. Strong arms wrapped around him, pulling their bodies flush and a breathy sigh escaped Gabe’s lips. Despite the unfortunate series of events that had been their holiday vacation thus far, Gabriel was just thankful to be curled up against his favorite person. He inhaled the rich, woodsy scent of Sam and moaned, pulling a laugh from his lover.

Wiggling his body, Gabriel moved up and pressed his lips to Sam’s as he said, “I thought you wanted some hot and heavy kissing action?”

“Always,” Sam smiled.

The crackling flames added the perfect soundtrack as the two men came together fiercely. Gabriel draped himself over Sam, pushing into his boyfriend as their lips and tongues explored. He could feel Sam’s large palms as they inched down his back in a soft caress. Just as Sam slid his fingers up under the hem of Gabriel’s shirt, making contact with his warm skin, there was a click and a buzz that echoed through the cabin. Seconds later, they were bathed in darkness as all of the lights, save the fire, extinguished.

Shifting his weight, Gabriel pressed his palms to Sam’s chest and pushed himself up, his eyes darting around the dark room. Sam’s arms gripped him tighter as he maneuvered Gabe off of him and stood in a fluid motion. He watched as Sam walked over to the nearest lightswitch and flipped it rapidly a few times. “You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Sam groaned. 

“Please don’t tell me that the power is out in a cabin that’s only half stocked, and our car is stuck in a snow drift?”

“That would be a lie.”

Gabe swore.

“Hey,” Sam was at his side, cupping his cheek. “Don’t worry.” Sam gave him a brief kiss. “I’m sure there’s a flashlight or candles around here. And we have the fire. Just stay here and get comfortable—I’m going to see if I can find a breaker box.”

Shaking his head, Gabe reached for Sam, grabbing his hand and squeezing. “No way, kiddo. I’m helping.”

“As you wish.”

The combination of the movie quote with those devastating dimples made Gabriel huff and give a light slap to Sam’s hip. “Brat.”

Their hands tangled and they moved carefully through the house, using the light from their phones to check drawers, cupboards, and closets. They managed to uncover a rather heavy flashlight which, while dim, was still working; but they didn’t find the breakers. After they’d both stubbed toes and knocked a few elbows on things, Sam declared that they could deal for now and look some more in the daylight. 

They flopped back down onto the sofa, curled around each other. Gabriel was staring blankly into the fire thinking about proposing, as Sam’s fingers ran soothingly through his hair. He pulled himself out of his musings and made a contented rumble at the loving touches of his Moose. The smile was evident in Sam’s voice when he said, “You’re like a big golden cat.”

Burying his face into Sam’s chest he muttered, “Lion. Not a little kitty. I’m a lion.”

“Okay,” Sam agreed, kissing the top of Gabe’s head. “My big brave lion.”

Lifting his head, he narrowed his eyes playfully at Sam. “Are you  _ trying  _ to be a little shit?”

“You know you love it.”

“You’re not wrong.”

As their lips met, drawing the men into lazy, sweet kisses, they began to lose themselves once again. Despite the obstacles of their vacation thus far, they were both content in the knowledge that they were together and in love. Sam’s hands splayed across Gabe’s back, holding him firmly, and Gabriel gripped at Sam’s broad shoulders. Their tongues twirled, and both heaved a gasp as their passion began to move into less innocent territory.

Sam’s phone rang.

The shrill tune of Dean’s customized tone broke through the silence, ruining the moment. Gabriel didn’t wait for Sam to ask, he simply slid off of his lover and perched on the end of the couch as Sam looked apologetic as he answered his brother’s call.

He put the call on speaker and held the phone between them. “Dean,” Sam’s teeth were clenched and Gabriel could tell that his boyfriend was trying not to sound irritated.

“Hey, Sammy.”

“Where are you?” Sam looked at the clock. “You two should have been here half an hour ago.”

“Did you get Cassie?” Gabe chimed in.

There was a sound like an angry cat on the other end before Dean said, “Yeah, I got him. Thanks for the sign Gabe. I’m never going to get that shit out of the trunk. You’re a dead man.”

Sam looked at him curiously as Gabe snorted with laughter. “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

“You’re the worst,” Dean said. 

“Love you too,” Gabriel couldn’t resist. He loved riling Dean up—mostly because it was hilarious. 

“Dean, where are you?” Sam asked again. 

“So, there was a huge pile up because of the snow and they’ve closed off the highway,” Dean said. “I found another route that’s out of the way but from what I’ve seen on the news sites, those roads look just as bad. I don’t think I can chance it in Baby.” Dean always referred to his precious automobile with an affectionate nickname. Normally, Gabe would tease him with comments about ‘compensation’ and ‘unhealthy attachment,’ but with the news that their brothers were stranded, Gabe managed to hold his tongue. Barely. 

“What are you two going to do?” Sam asked with concern.

“We found a cheap place with a vacancy to hole up for the night and I plan on getting an early start tomorrow,” Dean said. 

“This establishment looks disreputable,” Castiel’s voice said in the background. 

“It’s fine Cas,” Dean has turned away from the phone. 

“The likelihood of travelers being robbed is increased by thirteen percent when there is no security chain on the door,” Cas was saying. “Our chain appears to have been cut.”

“Don’t worry about it, Cas,” Dean growled. “I got you. No one would be stupid enough to try and break in.”

“This duvet is full of dust,” Cas replied. 

Gabriel could practically hear Dean’s teeth grinding and he bit back a hysterical giggle. Sam, however, looked concerned. “You sure you’re okay, Dean?”

“Sammy.” The bite in the older Winchester’s words broke no argument. “Drop it. We’ll be there in the morning.”

“Okay,” Sam sighed. “I’ll leave the key in the lock box in case you arrive before we wake up. Do you remember the code?”

“Yeah,” Dean said. “Okay, we’re gonna turn in—“

“Dean,” Sam interrupted before his brother could end the call. “Hold on a second. I want to make sure you have the right address of this place.” Sam turned to Gabriel and whispered, “I’ll be right back.” He then turned the phone off speaker and walked through the blackness of the cabin to their bedroom. 

Gabriel sat stock still in front of the fire, blinking in confusion. Why would Sam have to leave the room to tell Dean where they were? That made no sense at all. Gabe’s heart rate sped up as a series of awful scenarios rapidly flew through his mind. Was Sam breaking up with him? Was something wrong with Cas? 

Almost on autopilot, Gabriel found himself standing and shuffling through the dark toward the hall. At least the fire was enough to give him light so he didn’t catch his toes on the furniture. There was a nerve wracking moment when he tripped over a rug in the hallway and knocked into the wall. Thankfully, Sam hadn’t seemed to hear his clumsy racket because Gabriel could still hear his boyfriend’s voice on the other side of their half closed bedroom door. 

He knew that he shouldn’t be eavesdropping, but he couldn’t seem to force himself back to the sofa—he had to know what was going on. Pressing himself against the wall, Gabe held his breath and strained his hearing to make out the words. “No Dean, everything is going terribly,” Sam was saying. “I don’t think I can do this anymore.”

There was a pause while Dean spoke and Gabriel’s throat closed and his stomach lurched as if dropping from a dangerous height. Sam can’t do  _ what _ anymore? All of the anxiety that Gabriel held over their relationship came crashing down onto him making it hard to suck in any air. He had always known that Sam was too good for him, but was he actually about to be dumped two days before Christmas, while he was essentially  _ trapped,  _ with a three year old engagement ring burning a hole in his pocket?

“You just need to get here and keep Gabriel company while I figure out how to do this.”

_ ‘Oh god, oh god, oh god.’  _ He was going to puke. That was going to happen. His fists clenched and tried to regulate his breathing as he heard Sam say goodbye to his brother. He registered the sound of the bedroom door creaking open and his eyes shot up, locking with Sam’s. His boyfriend looked nervous as he said Gabriel’s name. When he didn’t respond, Sam’s features morphed into guilt. “Did you hear any of that?”

Remaining silent, Gabriel set his jaw and spun around on his dinosaur socks, stomping down the hall to the front door. Sam scurried after him, his longer legs making it easy to block Gabriel’s exit. Deciding to use the moment to shove his feet into still soaked boots, and grab his jacket off of a hook, Gabriel tried to hold off the impending tears. Sam was babbling frantically, but Gabe didn’t hear any of it. 

Managing to duck under Sam’s arm, he pushed his way out of the door into the snow. Behind him, Sam was scrambling to get his own boots on as well, calling his name. Gabe slipped his way down the steps into the deep drifts covering the driveway. “Where are you going?”

“I’m going back to the truck,” Gabe’s voice sounded petulant and he grimaced. 

“Don’t be ridiculous! You’ll freeze!”

He’d only made it a few feet before he felt Sam latching onto his arm. “Gabriel! 

He couldn’t hold back any longer. Something painful inside of him snapped as he faced the man he loved. “You know, kiddo,” he began. “If you wanted to break up with me, you didn’t have to drag me across the country for a vacation. You could have just told me over dessert in our own kitchen.”

Sam’s jaw dropped. “What?”

“I’m not stupid, I know you can do better. But don’t you think this is overkill? It’s just rubbing it in when I’m stuck here.”

“I don’t—“

“I just don’t understand—why now?” Gabriel could feel his eyes filling, and it made him even angrier. “Why do it like this?”

Snow was collecting on both of them, and Sam gave a minute shiver, due to the fact that he’d raced outside without a coat. “What are you talking about?”

Rolling his eyes, and crossing his arms, Gabe quotes with a snort, “‘I can’t do this anymore.’ Sound familiar?”

“Wha—?” Sam’s expression fell into devastation. “Gabriel, no. That’s not,” Sam cut himself off. 

Despite the pain of heartbreak, Gabriel had an urge to reach out and comfort Sam. Something in his boyfriend’s eyes made him stop and listen. “What?” He winced as he bit off his words in anger and frustration. 

“I wasn’t talking about breaking up with you,” Sam said. 

“Then why did you want Dean here to  _ ‘distract’ _ me?”

Sam’s shoulders slumped before he ran a hand through his snow dusted hair. “I had to rework some things and I couldn’t have you around.” Gabe huffed in irritation and Sam took a deep breath. “You know what? Fine. I’m just going to do this now.”

Narrowing his eyes, Gabriel felt suspicion and curiosity curling through him as Sam reached into the pocket of his own flannel pants and pulled out a familiar looking black velvet box. “I had a plan,” Sam started as he flipped the top and exposed the ring nestled inside. 

“Dean was helping me out. I was going to make you a red velvet cake because I know it’s your favorite. And I was going to give it to you with this inside of your piece on Christmas Eve. But when I was looking at the pantry earlier, half of the ingredients that I’d requested weren’t here.” Sam met Gabe’s shocked face. “I needed Dean to distract you so that I could either get to the store and make it tomorrow, or come up with something completely different.”

Still staring in shock at the ring, Gabriel heard Sam say, “I know you prefer gold, and the feather design is for angel wings because, well—you’re my angel,” Sam breathed the familiar endearment that Gabe secretly adored. 

“Gabriel Novak,” Sam said. “I had this whole speech planned, but I don’t remember a word of it. So,” Sam sucked in air, before speaking in a rush. “I love you. More than anything or anyone. And I want to spend the rest of my life loving you. I want to wake up with you and hold you every night. I want to see how sexy you look when you’re old, because I know you’re going to age like top shelf whiskey,” Sam chuckled sheepishly. “I want us to adopt a bunch of animals, and I want to hear all the excuses you come up with for eating cookies for breakfast. I want you. Forever,” Sam’s voice broke. “Gabriel, will you marry me?”

He was frozen—and it wasn’t because of the temperature. After a long moment, Gabriel tore his eyes away from the ring, (which was incredibly perfect), and looked up at Sam’s face. “No,” he snapped out, his voice cracking on the end. Sam’s whole body slumped and his eyes dimmed as he began to drop the hand holding his ring. “No, no, no,” Gabe repeated as he shoved his hand into his own pocket. He fumbled for a moment before pulling out his own velvet box and snapping the lid open. 

Shoving the ring that he’d carted around for three years under Sam’s nose, Gabriel continued. “I’ve had this stupid thing forever! I bought it after our third date when we went to the aquarium, and you kept going back to look at the octopus,” Gabe babbled. “I’ve been carrying it around the whole time because I knew—I  _ knew _ —that I was going to marry you the moment I met you! You don’t get to waltz in here with a gorgeous ring, and a tempting cake proposal and ruin my moment!” He could hear how shrill his voice was, but he couldn’t seem to stop. “I’m not going to kneel because I’m pretty sure I’d get lost in all this snow and die,” Gabe said. “But I love you, kiddo. Marry me?”

The small smile that twitched in Sam’s lips grew to a full, blinding grin. “So, just to be clear,” Sam said. “You’re not saying ‘no’ to my proposal?”

“Yes I am,” Gabe resisted the urge to stamp his foot. “We are disregarding your proposal and going with mine. It’s only fair, I’ve been planning this a lot longer.”

Sam was just needling him now. “What was your plan?”

“It was big,” Gabe insisted. “And a secret. And now you’ll never know because you’re going to get this half-assed proposal in the middle of a blizzard.” He shook the ring in his hand at Sam. “So? You gonna say yes, or what?”

Sam laughed loudly, his head thrown back. “You’re such a dick.”

“You love me.”

“I do.” And then Sam’s arms were around him, pulling him close. Just before their lips met, Sam whispered, “Yes, I will marry you.”

Their first kiss as an engaged couple was the best kiss that Gabriel had experienced in his whole life. It was demanding and hungry, while still being tender and full of promise. He felt drunk off of it. The snow continued to fall around them, covering both men in a fine dust of white. When they broke apart, Gabriel’s arms looped around Sam’s neck, he could see a few flakes clinging to his fiancé’s lashes. “I love you so much,” he whispered, kissing Sam once more. 

“Love you too,” Sam pulled away with a grin. “Now hand over that ring.”

Gabe’s laughter echoed through the stillness of the surrounding forest as they moved to exchange jewelry. Slipping the rings on, both men took a moment to admire the choice their lover had made before sweeping into another snowy kiss. This time, the contact was slightly more risqué, and Gabriel was hoping that meant they would be celebrating their new relationship status. Preferably in the relative warmth of the cabin. He could feel the cold sleeping into Sam’s skin and he managed to say, “Let’s get you warmed up,” before he was swept off his feet with an undignified squeak. “Put me down!”

“No way,” Sam carried him back up the steps and into the house, kicking the door closed behind them. He didn’t stop until he’d reached their room and deposited Gabriel in the center of the huge bed.

They made quick work of clothing, their hands roaming anywhere they could reach, mouths never parting. It was the most amazing feeling, and Gabriel felt as though he could conquer anything. His mind was fuzzy and floating; consumed with affection and delirious happiness. When they were done, they quickly cleaned up and prepared for bed. Sam extinguished the fire in the main room, and the two of them crawled into bed, all tangled limbs and whispered endearments. They slept peacefully in each other’s embrace, as the snow outside began to slow as the night gradually turned into dawn. 

When they awoke on Christmas Eve, the sun had risen, but the sky was still a muffled, dreary grey. Sam pulled him in for a firm kiss, which ended when a clang sounded from the direction of the kitchen. As they managed to roll out of bed, the low murmur of voices implied that their brothers had finally arrived. 

Taking turns in the bathroom and pulling on clean clothes, Gabriel winked at Sam’s long-suffering groan when he saw the tacky holiday sweater that Gabriel was wearing. They headed down the hall, hand in hand, where—sure enough—Castiel and Dean were bustling around the kitchen, chatting as they cooked breakfast.

“Hey guys,” Dean grinned as he saw them approach. “I’m almost done here and then we can eat. I even picked up those gross banana nut muffins that you like on the way, Sammy.” Dean grunted as he poked at the frying bacon. “You two are  _ not  _ going to believe the night that we had.”

“Same,” Sam huffed good-naturedly. 

“There was only one bed at that rat hole motel,” Dean continued. “But it was the last room left, so we dealt with it.”

Gabriel didn’t miss the matching flush on both Cas and Dean’s cheeks. “Well, good thing you’ll each have your own rooms here,” he commented dryly. 

Dean’s eyes flicked over to Castiel’s and the two of them had a silent conversation that looked a few steps beyond intimate. Soon enough, Castiel turned away and said, matter-of-factly, “We planned to share a room here, as well.”

Sam and Gabriel exchanged a glance and shrugged. “Whatever makes you happy baby bro,” Gabe responded. Well,  _ that _ was an interesting development. 

Both he and Sam moved to step into the kitchen to assist when Castiel stopped them. “Forgive me, Gabriel,” he started. “But you and Sam appear to be under some mistletoe.” The younger Novak turned his serious gaze upwards to a large cluster of the festive plant which was hanging from the exposed wooden beam above their heads.

“So we are,” Gabriel commented casually. 

Sam’s eyes narrowed as he studied the decoration. “That wasn’t here yesterday.”

“No, it was not,” Castiel confirmed. 

“Did you two put that up?” Sam asked their brothers. 

Dean shook his head and pointed to Cas, who nodded in confirmation. “Gabriel asked me to,” Castiel said. 

A curious look crossed Sam’s features as he turned to look down at his fiancé. He pointed up to the mistletoe. “Was that it? Was this your big proposal plan?”

“Maybe,” Gabe hedged. Sam continued to stare him down, grinning. “Okay, yes,” Gabe threw his hands in the air. “That was my big plan. I was going to have Cas hang the mistletoe and then give you the ring underneath it.”

“I still don’t understand why you couldn’t come up with something more elaborate,” Cas said. “You’ve had three years to plan.”

“Three years?” Dean piped up. 

Sam held up his hand, showing off his new engagement ring. “He bought it after our third date,” he told his brother. 

Incredulously, Dean eyed Gabe. “Three years, and you didn’t have a speech, or a singing telegram or—I don’t know—a flash mob?”

“Sam would have stabbed me if I proposed with a flash mob,” Gabriel pointed out. 

“True,” Dean agreed as Sam nodded vigorously.

“Forgive me,” Cas said. “But if Sam already has his ring, then why did I hang the mistletoe?”

Both men looked sheepish and Gabe held up his own hand. “We had a misunderstanding last night and,” he looked fondly at Sam. “We sort of got engaged in the driveway.”

Dean snorted, “That’s romantic.”

“Shut up, Dean,” Sam said. “It was.”

Cas was squinting at them, his head tilted to the side. “Well,” he said finally. “The least you could do is kiss, since I went to the trouble of putting it up there.”

“It’s slapped up there with duct tape from Baby’s trunk,” Dean pointed out. “And  _ I  _ was the one who hung it up.”

“I instructed you where to place it,” Cas said. 

Before their brothers could continue, Gabriel broke in with a, “Thank you both,” before turning to Sam. “So, it’s not a cake,” he started. “And it’s a little late since we did this dance last night. I know it’s not a huge gesture, but  _ this _ ,” Gabriel pointed to the mistletoe above them. “This was my  _ original _ ‘Big Plan.’”

“It’s not a very big plan,” Cas muttered. “I still don’t understand why a parasitic plant is romantic.”

“It’s tradition, Cas,” Dean said. 

“It’s disturbing,” Castiel countered. “Poisonous plants and exchanging germs—possibly with strangers—it’s unseemly and unhygienic.”

“Well, then I won’t kiss  _ you  _ under it,” Dean said.

“That’s not what I was implying,” Cas said. “You  _ should  _ kiss me under it so that I may change my outlook on the entire ‘tradition.’”

Ignoring their siblings, Sam smiled fondly down at him, pulling him close, and running a thumb along Gabe’s cheek. “It’s perfect, Gabriel,” he said as he leaned in for a deep, memorable kiss. “I love you, and I can’t wait to marry you.”

“Back at ya, kiddo,” Gabriel whispered. “I love so much.”

Their lips met again, this time slow and sweet. “I have to admit,” Sam said. “You’re my favorite Christmas gift.”

Gabriel agreed. Nothing would ever top Sam Winchester agreeing to marry him. This Christmas, Gabriel had everything that he could ever ask for—and it was perfect. 

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Holidays!!
> 
> 🍭I am on Tumblr as crowley-loves-usuk if anyone feels the urge to follow or message me. I love talking to readers! 🍭


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